Album Review

Like wandering in a dense and druggy fog, White Hills’ self-titled album is like a stoner rock beacon, hypnotically guiding the listener with layer upon layer of fuzz and reverb to some unknown destination. Recorded at Oneida’s Ocropolis studio and featuring Kid Millions on the drums, it comes as no surprise that White Hills is able to evoke the mesmerizing, Krautrock-influenced psych of Oneida’s Each One Teach One, using repetition and subtle change to slowly build the songs into Hawkwind-esque space jams. “Polvere di Stelle,” the sprawling jam that closes the album, perfectly captures the spirit of White Hills. Like the album itself, the song is always opening itself up and expanding in all directions, adding layers of atmospherics while guitar solos play off of the titanic bass riff that anchors the track to reality. The album also goes off in more esoteric, Krautrock-oriented directions on “Glacial,” where droning, almost Sunn0)))-styled tones slowly shift notes, evolving the song with a crawling pace. This is an album that eschews easy hooks and quick melodies for a more carefully layered approach to making an album. White Hills isn’t an album that’s concerned with giving the listener easily digestible singles, but is instead offering a collection of tracks that work as a complete listening experience, rewarding anyone who is willing to put in the time to consume the album in its entirety with a carefully constructed and incredibly spacy experience.

Customer Reviews

Space Rock for a New Decade

by
citybug7

After seeing them just this weekend open for Pissed Jeans and Mudhoney, little did I expect them to wow me as they had. With a solid forty-five minute set that seemed to blaze through with ferocity and speed, they made me forget what time was and let my ears be graced with sonic joy. Following the show, I got to meet the band and buy their albums (they also signed the setlist of their's I snagged). This is by far not for the faint of heart. This progressive rock is clouded with noise, raging theramin's, subtle but strong synthesizers, and scifi overtures. More subtle than their past releases (especially Glitter Glamour Atrocity), their two epic twelve-to-thirteen minute tracks are excellent works and serve as major highlights of the album. 'Three Quarters' remains my favorite of the album - a gritty but hypnotic song that blends the spacey nature of seventies prog-rock with noise aesthetics of the No Wave scene. Overall, this album is one of the best of the year in my humble opinion as there have been few times where the first opening act of a show really steals me away.

Biography

Formed: New York, NY

Genre: Alternative

Years Active: '00s, '10s

Evoking the spirit and sound of space rock pioneers like Hawkwind, White Hills capture the expansive rock sound of the '70s with their brand of trippy, synth-heavy rock & roll. Formed in New York City as the brainchild of singer and guitarist Dave W., the band also consisted of bassist Ego Sensation and drummer Lee Hinshaw; they got their first break when Julian Cope released their album They've Got Blood Like We've Got Blood on his own label in 2005. This kicked off a prolific string of releases,...